Mike Bonin

Early life

Bonin graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Massachusetts, in 1985. He served as class president during his Junior and Senior years. William P. Constantino, Bonin's grandfather, was a state representative and later presiding judge in Clinton District Court. His uncle, William P. Constantino, Jr., also served as a state representative.

Professional career

From 1989 to 1996, Bonin worked as a reporter at the Springfield Newspapers in Springfield, Mass., and the Wave Newspapers in Los Angeles, CA.

Political career

Bonin’s began his political career organizing student and community support for the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, which won certification as a union during Bonin’s junior year of college. Bonin began working in Los Angeles city politics 1996, joining the staff of Los Angeles City Councilmember Ruth Galanter. During his seven years with Galanter, Bonin held various titles, serving as legislative deputy, district director, and eventually as deputy chief of staff. From 2003 to 2004, Bonin worked in the Office of US Representative Jane Harman. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for the Congressional District represented by Harman. In 2005, Bonin managed Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s successful campaign, and was appointed chief-of-staff. Bonin helped broker a legal settlement that jumpstarted modernization of Los Angeles International Airport while preventing airport expansion into neighboring communities. Bonin also helped more than 100 homeless people find permanent housing. He helped Rosendahl win passage of a Citywide Bicycle Master Plan, and cut taxes for internet-based businesses . After being diagnosed with cancer, Rosendahl chose not to seek a third term and endorsed Bonin to succeed him in the 2013 city election.

Campaign for City Council, 2013

During the summer of 2012, Rosendahl announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. In October, he decided against seeking reelection. Rosendahl immediately endorsed Bonin and referenced his dedication to public service in the endorsement.

Bonin’s campaign stressed his long-standing community ties, his track record working for local elected officials, and his plans for the district. He campaigned on a theme of “Putting Neighborhoods First,” and promised to “move Los Angeles forward, do good, and get things done.”

During the campaign, Bonin received endorsements from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and the Los Angeles Times.

Re-election Campaign for City Council, 2017

Bonin was re-elected on March 7, 2017, defeating Mark Ryavec and Robin Rudisill. Bonin won District 11 with 71% of the vote.

Bonin's largest opposition came from Ryavec supporters who disagree with several of Bonin's more controversial proposals. Some residents are opposed to Bonin's proposal to build four homeless projects solely in Venice Beach while other areas of District 11 will not have to provide any homeless shelters.

Just months after Bonin's re-election, he quickly passed an "emergency order" reducing driving lanes in Mar Vista and Playa Del Rey which caused additional traffic in these areas and outraged some constituents. Residents in District 11 are attempting to have Bonin recalled saying his actions lacked community input and that he waited until after his re-election to propose these changes. Bonin maintains the changes were needed for safety, however, several of these roads were not identified as unsafe by LADOT.

Access 11

Bonin launched his "Access 11" program shortly after being sworn-into office in order to "bring City Hall to the Westside." The program features "Open Office Hours," where Bonin meets with constituents at Farmers Markets or other community gatherings, "Neighborhood Service Fairs," where Bonin coordinates City departments to come to Westside communities to demonstrate available services (such as emergency preparedness and water conservation programs), "Hikes With Mike," where Bonin meets with neighbors as they hike in areas around the district, "Neighborhood Coffees," where Bonin hosts small, informal gatherings for neighbors to ask questions about the City and "Neighborhood Canvasses," where Bonin, staff and community volunteers go door-to-door in Westside neighborhoods to ask for ideas and service requests

Stopping Illegal Pot Shops

As a candidate for Council, Bonin advocated in favor of Los Angeles Measure D, which allows regulated medicinal marijuana dispensaries, as long as they are not located in residential neighborhoods or schools. In the fall of 2014, Bonin partnered with LA City City Attorney Mike Feuer and neighbors in Mar Vista to oppose the relocation of a large marijuana dispensary in the Mar Vista neighborhood, saying the proposed location did not comply with Proposition D. In January 2014, Bonin and Feuer announced that they had successfully stopped the relocation of the controversial dispensary.

SB1818 Reform

Calling the lack of affordable housing in Los Angeles "a threat to neighborhood quality of life," Bonin has spearheaded changes to zoning laws that allow developers a “density bonus” and a free pass on development standards. In the spring of 2014, Bonin joined with colleagues at the state and local level on three efforts to amend California's "density bonus" law, also known as SB 1818:

Mello Act Reform

In February 2015, Bonin authored legislation that directs the City of Los Angeles to develop a permanent ordinance that would protect affordable housing in the Coastal Zone of Los Angeles. Though the City had been subject to the Mello Act - a state law adopted over 30 years ago, that is intended to preserve, replace, and develop low-income and affordable housing in the Coastal Zone - for the past 15 years, the City has been implementing the Act through a set of interim guidelines. Bonin's motion called for a permanent ordinance "in order to get clear, on-the-record answers about how or whether the City has been complying with the guidelines, and to figure out what more the City can do to protect affordable housing in the Coastal Zone, including by requiring rigorous third-party financial analysis of applications covered by the Mello Act."

Development Reform

Bonin worked with colleagues in 2016 and 2017 to reform the planning process in the City of Los Angeles to better protect neighborhoods. Among the legislation Bonin has co-authored and championed are efforts to: require that the local community plans that guide development are updated more regularly, prohibit developers with projects pending before the city from making campaign contributions to elected officials who will vote on the projects; ensure that the city selects impartial consultants to conduct environmental review of a project, instead of allowing a developer to select their own consultant to prepare required reviews.

Legislative and Policy Accomplishments

Since being elected, Bonin has focused on "putting neighborhoods first" and four specific issue areas: transportation, public safety, the environment and jobs/technology.

Transportation Policy and "LAX Connect"

Bonin was appointed Chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee, serves as a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors and is the vice-Chair of Metro's Expo Line Construction Authority. With these key leadership roles, "Bonin is now one of the most important people on transportation policy in the region". Bonin has used these positions to advocate for a light-rail connection between existing rail lines and Los Angeles International Airport and to call for increased investments in multi-modal infrastructure and improved bike and pedestrian safety in neighborhoods.

iPads for Firefighters

Bonin proposed equipping Los Angeles City Fire Department first responders with upgraded tablet technology on July 2, 2013. The proposal quickly won the support and praise of the Fire Commission, rank-and-file firefighters and the Los Angeles technology community, and was hailed as a success as the pilot program progressed.

Hotel Workers Living Wage

On February 18, 2014, Bonin and his colleagues Nury Martinez and Curren Price Jr. introduced legislation to establish a living wage of $15.37 per hour for employees at large hotels in Los Angeles. After months of debate, the bill was approved by the Council by a 12-3 vote, setting one of the highest minimum wages in the country.

Citywide Minimum Wage

In the fall of 2014, Bonin became one of four co-authors on the legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles. While supportive of Mayor Garcetti's initial proposal to incrementally increase the minimum wage to $13.25 per hour by 2017, Bonin has also called for extending the proposed increase to reach $15.25 by 2019.

Small Business Support Program

On October 24, 2013, Bonin announced that he had partnered with Santa Monica College and the Small Business Development Center to hire a "Small Business Development Consultant" in his office. The Small Business Development Consultant's primary responsibility is serving as a "small business concierge" to offer expert advice to local business owners and to help them "cut through red tape" at City Hall. The partnership, which provides local entrepreneurs one-on-one business consulting as well as free informational workshops, was the first of its kind in Los Angeles.

Stopping Fracking and Taking on the Oil and Gas Industry

On September 4, 2013, Bonin and his colleague Paul Koretz introduced the Los Angeles Fracking Moratorium to the City Council. The motion, which instructed the City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would temporarily ban "unconventional oil and gas drilling" techniques like fracking in Los Angeles until they can be proven safe, was unanimously approved by the City Council on February 28, 2014.

Fighting for Clean Energy

In addition to taking on fossil fuels, Bonin has also focused on proactive ways to create clean energy. Working with colleagues, the Mayor and key stakeholders such as the Sierra Club, Bonin co-authored legislation that would create a research collaborative with the sole mission of charting a smart and achievable path to 100% clean energy in Los Angeles.

Making it Safer and Easier to Walk and Bike in LA

Bonin maintains that early half of all trips taken in LA are less than three miles, and eighty-seven percent of those trips are taken by car. Bonin understands that we can improve our neighborhoods and protect the environment by making it easier and safer to walk and bike in LA, taking cars off the road and potential pollution out of the air. At Bonin's persistent urging, the City Council approved the Mobility Plan 2035 - a planning document that will create a bike network throughout Los Angeles and will improve how we plan and design our city to better protect bicyclists and pedestrians who opt not to rely on cars for transportation. Mike is also a champion of the city’s Vision Zero commitment, which seeks to end traffic fatalities in LA by 2025 by reducing vehicle speeds on local streets and incorporating better street design to protect pedestrians from cars.

Broken Parking Meters

Bonin's first motion as a Councilmember was to rescind the City's policy of issuing tickets to cars parked at broken parking meters. The bill, which Bonin said was intended to show that "government should be on your side, not on your back" was unanimously approved by the Council.

Water Conservation

In the fall of 2014, with California in a historic drought, Bonin and his colleague Felipe Fuentes introduced a pair of motions focused on water conservation in Los Angeles. The first motion asked the city to explore recommendations made in a 2013 UCLA report titled "Residential Water Consumption in Los Angeles," including adding extra tiers to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's water rate system. The second motion called on the city to stop watering large lawns on public property in order to conserve water and to make city facilities "showcases for sustainability".

Internet-based Business Tax Rate

In the fall of 2014, Bonin worked with his colleague Bob Blumenfield to extend a reduced tax rate for internet-based businesses in Los Angeles as a way to encourage technology companies to create jobs in Los Angeles.

Voted "Best of the Westside" by Argonaut Readers

In 2014, Bonin was voted "Best Local Public Servant (elected)" in The Argonaut's annual "Best of the Westside" reader poll. He went on to win the award in 2015 and 2016 as well - all three years that he has been eligible to receive it.

Recognized for his Environmental Leadership

In 2016, Bonin accepted the first ever “Bill Rosendahl Community Champion Award” at the Sierra Club’s Political Leadership Awards, and has also been honored for his work on improving bike and pedestrian safety in neighborhoods throughout the city.

Personal life

Bonin (a former methamphetamine addict and alcoholic [3]) lives in Mar Vista with his husband, Sean Arian whom he married in the summer of 2014. Mayor Eric Garcetti performed the wedding ceremony. Arian is founder and President of EOS Consulting and also serves as the Founder and Chief Strategist for Bixel Exchange, a technology startup incubator created by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Development Center.